Placement no. 2

After spending two weeks sleeping and then sailing with uni friends, as a well earned break, it is now time for 3 weeks of craziness.

Red House Riding Holidays 2014 - let the madness commence.

Helpers all together 

The kids all arrive on the Sunday lunch time, all with about 3 hours sleep, more sweets than clothes for the week and maybe even a new pony. Everyone has lots of catching up to do, or if you're a nervous newbie, you sit awkwardly hoping that someone who isn't the matron will talk to you.
Sunday is spent trotting around in a circle, whilst the instructors decide which group you're in and if you're on a Red House pony, whether you get on with it or not.

Monday is spent falling in love with the horse, and maybe the floor if your balance hasn't been tested much. Tuesday is much the same. Wednesday is then the relax day but also the big competition day, morning is spent learning the musical ride (dressage to music), hacking out and then after lunch is spent plaiting up and lots of fun to be had with water. Wednesday night, its the show jumping competition, a time to get your first rosette, or your first prize money (if you're fast enough to get first). Thursday is the scariest - cross country and remembering dressage test before the big day. Friday - the big competition day, early wake up to get messy and plait up, then tack and turn out show, then dressage, show jumping and cross country show. The afternoon is the best though - chase me charlie (where the jump goes up and up and if you knock it/ refuse you're out), the musical ride and gymkhana games... apple bobbing and then polo in the flour; its brilliant.

Every day has its own evening activity too, every day is full of fun and full of laughter and making new friends.

It is mandatory that you are loud, courageous and can cheer on your peers at all times though; but fear not, you're not that when you start, Red House will teach you how to be.

I have been spending my summers there for the last 14 years, riding from 7-17 and then invited back (no idea, and my best times riding have either been hunting or at Red House. It is the probably the most fun and crazy week, you will ever encounter.

If you're between 8-16 and love horses, go. All I can say is GOOOOOO!!

Wednesday action! 

And for me, the first week I was matron, second I was helping with the horses and third week I was matron again! Every week has different kids and each week has different highlights!!

These weeks keep me young and very well fed!

Yours enthusiastically,

X

If At First You Don't Succeed, Try Try Try Again

Sunday was the day when the phrase 'If at first you don't succeed, try try try again' came very much into its own. 

All those who would have come on the Saturday had the weather gods refrained from unleashing the years quantity of water on us, came on the Sunday. 

Sunday was covered in sunshine, no sign of rain, and lots of results to be decided. 

With all the jumping close to the Organsier's Office where I was based, suited up with coffee, bacon butties and a great view - I was set to be the more cheerful, exhausted member there!

From all the work that had happened throughout the months leading up to the event, nothing could predict the excitement that I experienced those few days. From being helping count out things, to answering the telephones, to being entrusted with doing announcements, to prize giving collection... to meeting my hero - Mr Bramham himself, William Fox Pitt. 

It was all fantastic, a frustrating cliché but it was fantastic. 

Thank you Jane, Laura and Nick for giving me the time of my life!

Yours contently, 

X

2008 and 2014 

Red Trousers, Jacket and Beer In Hand

As previously mentioned, eventing is for everyone. You get the families, the farmers, the teenagers, the dedicated riding fans (sometimes with flags on their faces), the newbie riders (normally found in jodphurs), the grandparents - fancying a good day out, and those who have seen the sunshine and have decided to make a day out of something jumping something, oh and the shoppers.

Saturday, after two days of quite a bit of sunshine with a few spells of rain on the Dressage, was threatening storms - this isn't attractive to the less dedicated to the equestrian sport. Prayers were sent up and everything was crossed...

But Saturday came and so did the rain, it didn't storm but it did rain. It rained from the beginning of the Cross Country to just about the end. The fans were still there, screaming and cheering as per, more members badges were bought, lots of animal shaped umbrellas were revealed and dogs who had warmer looking coats than their owners... but as always.. the atmosphere remained.

As the quantity of rain and the effect of the rain grew, so did the smiles, so did the laughter and so did the happiness and atmosphere. The equestrian sport is not for the wimpy or for those who hate the mud.

More mud = more smiles. Not forgetting all the comments about how mad we all are.

All the Cross Country went ahead, all of the fun was had and most of the show jumping went ahead.

The Saturday of Bramham was yet again a huge success and definitely a day where mud managed to get even where one didn't realise mud could or would go!!

Yours mud bathingly,

X

More Dogs or More Humans? Your Guess Is As Good As Mine

Eventing presents the ultimate challenge of horsemanship as it requires horse and rider to perform three totally different disciplines within the same competition: dressage, cross country and show jumping. To conquer one or even two is not enough to win, so as the competition develops, so does the pressure. It takes at least four years of training to prepare a horse for an event of Bramham’s level, and the difference between success and failure can be a simple matter of dropping a pole or not having the perfect circle in the dressage test. (Extract from the Bramham Park, 3 day event page, http://bramham-horse.co.uk/bramham-2014/three-day-event/eventing-explained/) 

Thursday consists of Dressage - prancing around to a test created by people of a higher realm.

Friday consists of more Dressage.

Saturday consists of Cross Country - the most exciting and popular day for spectating, is your favourite horse and rider combination going to make it around the course, or is the water jumper just too taxing this time? 
Showjumping, for the CIC*** competition (a shorter course, and a shorter time allowed but all happens on the same day so a different type of endurance during the competition), happens before the Cross Country - so the Cross Country turns out to be the decider of who ends on which side of the podium. 

Sunday consists of Showjumping for any combination in the CCI***.  
Showjumping - jumping a course of jumps at a certain height, with lots of scary things, or plants or spreads to try and catch the combination out. A straight line up to the jump and a secure pole in the cups is vital for anyone. Normally the combinations jump in reverse order, thus making the Top 10, great fun to watch and rather nail biting for the top 5. Anything can change the last result, you can be lying at 1st and end up 7th due to a knocked pole or a time fault. 

Every day brings different types of spectators, dressage tends to attract those who are interested in the movement of horses, the way that the rider is able to get the horse to go and the general atmosphere of the event. Cross Country attracts the whole family, the mum likes to go shopping, the children like to see the different horses jumping big and the men enjoy the amount of beer that is involved in spectating the water jump and the dogs enjoy the walking and making new canine buddies. 

Saturday is seen as the socialising day, teenagers meet up at a place where parents allow but can disappear from their sight, Pony Club come to support their team during the games; farmers old and new arrive with different styles of Land Rover or pick up truck, looking out for a new bit of equipment or a horse themed gift for the Mrs. 

The Showjumping brings the dedicated fans, those that will be biting their nails as each jump is jumped but similarly it attracts those who are on the look out for an 'end of the event' sale. 

One thing to say for sure, is that there is a hard job counting the ratio between dogs and humans throughout the whole event. Everyone is welcome, and everyone comes!

Singing In The Rain

Blissful sunshine, what resembles organised chaos and thousands of people meant to be arriving to the Bramham Estate within hours... something has to go wrong...

And it did. It rained. Yorkshire was holding a hopeful mask over our eyes, could Bramham 2014 actually be full of sunshine... maybe, potentially, yes, no?

For a true Brit, it was heaven, we could actually chat about the weather with some sort of purpose or urgency, with some sort of actual debate... heaven was upon us...

Wednesday 4th June, it rained, it rained like it was a monsoon and had never rained before. To put it in a cliché, it rained on our parade but the smiles remained, as the saying goes 'the show must go on' and of course, it did. More gadgets were brought onto site, the trade stands arrived, the horses made an appearance and the first trot up was under way... 

A trot-up, for anyone that doesn't know, is when each rider trots their horse in front of a panel of judges to check that it is sound, healthy and in a fit state to partake in the competition. At Bramham, there is the advantage of having the trot - up right in front of the perfectly beautiful, unusual house. 

Mr Bramham (William Fox-Pitt) and Freddie Mac

If you pass the trot up, then the grooms have the great joy of plaiting up and you've gotta scrub up and learn that Dressage test quick!!

By the close of play on Wednesday we were all ready, ready for the next four days and anything that it could throw at us... 

Yours organisingly, 

Time

Apologies are sent your way for the delayed and therefore almost overdosing of blogging that has happened over the few days...

The Summer months have run away with me and due to a lack of any time to get to a computer, I have had a to store my reflections in my head and ponder on them...

I am now revealing and unleashing them to you...

I have, as you can see by the following the back dated posts, completed my first placement - the Equi-Trek Bramham International Horse Trials 2014.

Also have I completed my three weeks at Red House Riding Holidays, more details to follow.

And I am soon to embark on my first shift at the Jeux Equestres Mondiaux (World Equestrian Games), Normandy, 2014.

X

Counting Sheep Didn't Even Work...

IT IS THE WEEK BEFORE...

More people coming onto site, more people frantically panicking about the lack of something, more water bottles and high vis counted, more hairy moments when something isn't right and more shrieks of laughter heard as things come together... it must be near time for Equi-Trek's Bramham International Horse Trials...

More trucks, arriving with more delicious items that are essential to making this 3* horse trials happen...